Todd La Torre has faced the daunting task of filling the shoes of not one, but two of the greatest singers in metal history. He first caught the attention of the metal faithful as the frontman for Crimson Glory, in which many wondered if his body was merely being used as a vessel by the late Midnight. It’s no wonder Queensrÿche reached out to him after their messy divorce from Geoff Tate. Much like Midnight, Tate was considered irreplaceable…that is until La Torre came into the picture. 9 years and 3 albums later, La Torre has cemented his reputation as one of the finest singers in metal, as well as the man who singlehandedly saved Queensrÿche. Mind you, this was a band who in 25 years went from US metal titans to a schlocky Vegas cabaret act. La Torre was their last hope at redemption.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let it be known for the record that La Torre’s solo debut, Rejoice in the Suffering, sound nothing like Crimson Glory or Queensrÿche. There are certain moments throughout that recall both bands. However, this is a radically modern affair for a singer who’s best known for his old school stylings. The central focus of this album are its thrashy groove metal riffs, akin to 90s Overkill or Rob Halford’s post-Priest outfit, Fight. The guitar duties are handled by La Torre’s longtime friend and collaborator, Craig Blackwell.
The best songs on here are the thrashiest ones. “Dogmata” kicks things off in ferocious fashion. La Torre’s vocals range from aggressive thrash shouts to an upper register shriek identical to Halford. Meanwhile, Blackwell lays down some gnarly neck snapping riffs that eclipse 99% of today’s modern thrash crop. This same approach is used for tracks like “Darkened Majesty” and my choice cut, “Vanguards of the Dark”. While I wish the entire album stayed in this vein, but that isn’t to say there aren’t other shining moments.
In between all the thrashing and grooving is the occasional palette cleanser. One such example is “Crossroads to Insanity”. This is a dark, progressive song on with La Torre’s enormously wide vocal range takes centerstage. It’s also the one track that I can honestly say sounds like Queensrÿche. “Apology” is another slow, melodic song in this category, but lacks the progressive elements of “Crossroads to Insanity” to draw a Queensrÿche comparison. Another outlier of note is “Vexed”. The only way I can describe this song is “Crimson Glory goes butt rock”. And while that description may sound cursed, it’s not nearly as awful as you’d imagine.
Unfortunately, for as much good as there is to be found on Rejoice in the Suffering, there is nearly as much bad. Not even La Torre’s heroic vocals can save generic, middle of the road groove fests like “Critical Cynic” and the title track. The same can be said for 2 of the 3 “bonus tracks”, “Fractured” and “Set It Off”. As these songs chugged along like a camouflage train on its way to a Machine Head concert in Hobart, Indiana, I couldn’t help but ask myself: “Do we really need these “bonus” tracks?” The answer is no. At least for those two. The surprising all guttural, melodic death metal attack of “One by One” is too damn good to be relegated to “bonus track” status. It’s also proof that from Halford shrieks and Bobby Blitz shouts, to Geoff Tate vibrato and Mikael Akerfeldt growls, La Torre can do it all.
Rejoice in the Suffering may come off as a shock or even a disappointment to the average traditional metal fan. And while I don’t appreciate the entire album, I do appreciate La Torre’s willingness to try something new, even if it’s at the cost of alienating others. As for yours truly, there’s certainly a handful of songs on here that will hold me over until the next Queensrÿche album; songs that are so great, they save this album from the abyss of mediocrity.
6 out of 10
Label: Rat Pak Records
Genre: Groove Metal
For fans of: Fight, Overkill, Metal Church
I couldn’t disagree more. I think the disc is outstanding. I know that music is subjective but after several listens it has grown on me more and more. The song Apology which deals with his father’s suicide is really good. Every song is good in its own way and there is lots of diversity to his vocal delivery. The guitarist, Craig is really talented as well.
“Apology” is definitely a strong track. My problem with a handful of these songs isn’t so much Todd’s vocals (which are perfect) or Craig’s guitar style, as much as it’s the modern metal style/production itself which I’m not the biggest fan of, no matter who’s playing it. I appreciate hearing different views/opinions and thank you for taking the time to read mine.